Why are liberals so against drilling for our own oil? Why do we have to use everybody elses?

Because they are so high on their save the earth campaign that they do not care if we can afford gas.Now gas has went down a bit in price not as many people will be pushing for drilling,we need to drill now and not wait until we are paying 6.00 per gallon.Why are liberals so against drilling for our own oil? Why do we have to use everybody elses?
We are already drilling for our own oil, all over the US. In many midwestern and west states oil production for 2008 will reach record levels. If you referring to the limited areas off shore then there is little there that will help. Current accessibility for offshore rigs is almost non-existant, accessibility for ships to haul the rigs to sites is almost non-existant, expected time line for any kind of production from new off shore rigs is 7 to 10 years minimum. We import about 70% of our oil. The two largest oil importers for the US is Canada and Mexico. Even if any new off shore drilling could be placed into production immediately it would little to no effect on that 70%. What is required is conservation, find alternatives, maximizing current rigs and current leased lands.Why are liberals so against drilling for our own oil? Why do we have to use everybody elses?
Its not that black and white.





Drilling for oil on our own soil will alleviate some of the need to get oil from other countries. However, depending on where we want to drill, there are different costs and different benefits.





Drilling in ANWR, Alaska will be cheaper to get going since we already have pipelines in Alaska and oil drilling in Prudhoe. The cost of setting up the off shore drilling rigs is very high. However, transporting the offshore oil can be done by ships, there is no need to build more pipeline. Ocean Biomes also tend to recover faster than land biomes.





Either way, drilling on our own soil is only a temporary fix. My complaint with off-shore and ANWR drilling is that it will take 5-10 years before offshore sites become productive and ANWR is only 1-2 years supply of oil (generous estimate). The best alternative to everything is to develop alternative sources like solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric energy sources.





I think most people who are opposed to drilling in America see that it is not a permanent fix, nor can it sustain us for many more years. The most critical thing is to develop alternatives to oil used for transportation. A lot of people like to use ';offshore drilling'; as a screen that will hide the real energy crisis. What happens when that oil runs out? We are right back to where we started.





Until money is put towards alternative sources to rid of us our oil dependency, I see off-shore drilling as a frivolous expense that will do nothing but temporarily cover a giant scar. Once we begin to develop alternative sources to gasoline-powered vehicles, offshore drilling can be used to fulfill our other petroleum needs, such as the manufacturing of plastics.
It's not the liberals, it's the environmentalists. I am both, but let me make it perfectly clear, I am also a geologist with a BS and MS in Geology from two major universities. The problem is not using our own oil; the problem is trying to solve the oil shortage by exhausting more resources rather than finding alternative, longer lasting, cheaper sources of fuel and power. Why are you so against that? Too much effort? Too much thinking? Yet, the payoff in the long run...





Think long term...OIL is NOT an unlimited resource.
The neolibs, and neocons, like to show they have power over the economy. Neolibs (democrats) slightly more than the neocons (the republicans) want more fascist economic policy - that is the government directing the free market, and putting limitations and rules in place for the market (in thier case in the name of saving the environment). Ordering and directing tax to investment in the market. (opposite of a free market).





US demand is down, and continues to go down, but drilling here WOULD likely save us money. You know supply and demand.





However, im sure closer drilling, will result in more taxes on gas, or refining, or environmental related taxation, or automobile taxation. It creates many excuses for more taxes, which will increase the cost of fuel and neutralize any benefits.





Government will not directly announce new taxes when it has so many hundreds if not thousands of avenues to tax you covertly. But the few behind the scenes that are somewhat on our sides, are easily convinced behind closed doors to support policy against our (citizens) interrests.





*Saying that, i have a few things for you to consider.


1) can a new company drill and refine oil to gas


2) do laws allow competition with ';big oil'; or do laws protect big oil by banning competition (impassable legal hurdles)


3) after answering those 2 questions, can you say energy is part of a ';free market';?


4) what incentive do government protected monopolies have to lower prices?
I don't think liberals are dead-set against opening new drilling areas, but I think they realize that it would take 5 years for any oil to flow, and 10 years before there is any impact, and the impact may not even be noticable. (This is according to the oil companies, BTW) So the liberal argument is: why give oil companies yet another ';freebie'; when it won't do any good?



In the places that have oil deposits( florida,california,utah) they do not want exploration. The people of those states have voted overwhelmingly to ban it. In my state(cal.) i support the ban. Some of the responses that i have read here just prove how illogical those that want to lift the ban,see it. Why do those of you who want the ban lifted believe that the price will go down? Why would the oil industry sell it for less than market price? Who is going to convince them to take less? A twenty year old judgment against EXXON was just over turned. Who thinks that the oil industry can be trusted? Who but the government can afford to go toe to toe against the oil industry and would that be socialism? Why, with a solid majority in the first six years of the bush administration,did the republicans allow the energy crisis to get so bad? Could it be that they were making money hand over fist and could be counted on to do the bidding of their biggest supporters, the oil industry.


It would appear that by the way the question is worded it is the liberals who are to blame for the mess that the country is in, I would suggest that the opposite is true. If you must


place blame, lay this mess at the feet of the republicans.
it won't have much effect of lowering gasoline prices





thanks to nafta, american oil will go on the world market


to the highest bidder and american oil will only increase


the world's oil supply by less than 1%





mccain likes nafta the way it is and is totally against


the reforms to nafta that obama wants because mccain


owns a lot of stocks in companies that get cheap


labor overseas





what exxon-mobile drills for is theirs to sell as they please


it's not ours





if americans don't want to spend high prices for gasoline,


china certainly will





mccain's plan does not work
We ARE dependent on foreign oil. We are also dependent on the foreign


garment industry, the foreign automobile industry, the foreign guitar industry, the foreign food industry, the foreign toy industry, and the American flags waving in my hometown were make in China. President Bush rewards American businesses that are sent overseas, rewarding them with BIG TX BREAKS and profitable stocks %26amp; bonds.





The middle class is being represented in this country (USA) by liars, cheaters, crooks, lobbyists, and anti-American businessmen like DICk-Head CHENEY, GEORGIE BUSH , Tom Ridge, John Mccain, and about 716 others.





We should not praise the red, white, and blue. We should praise the flags of other countries. They are making the millionaire Americans richer, happier millionaire Americans .






They wish to change the basis of our democracy. To control others is the socialist manifesto and the Democrat Party mantra. If they can reduced, discourage, and prohibit the power of the individual, they can control economic, social, and governmental policy for the people.


Voting will be not be necessary, because they alone know what the American people want or need.





Daddy Obama will take care of us with Mommy Pelosi. They know what we need.
Because it's not yours.


It's public nature reserves and nobody is going to stampede the American people into gifting them to the Oil Industry.





The reduction in use has done much more to bring the price down than the hint of drilling. We should continue on that path and reduce even more.
My answer is;





We (America) don't get any of the Oil from our 49th state as it is (we have refineries on the West Coast). All the oil pumped from the North Slope in our 49th state goes to the World Market and is Sold to the Highest Bidder. Which isn't America. And Doesn't do a Damn Thing to Help Americans.





So maybe they have Reason to Believe that All the Oil recovered from any Drilling done in America.





Will only Go to the World Market!





And not do anything to help Americans get on with their lives.





Americans were charged with getting off the ';OPEC UTTER'; aka Terrorist Support Network, 30 years Ago!





But as lazy sheep who were told to Laugh at that Idea. We laughed and didn't take up the Charge. So, Here we are Today. Back in the Same Place we were (35 years ago) in 1973 under Republicans Nixon and Ford. Repeating History!





I hope my answer helps you understand.
Beats me, they just want top protect the land. The best compromise I can think of is to impose much higher mandatory fuel efficiency standards for American cars, that way maybe the amount of oil we need to drill for at home can be cheaper, and we wont need too much too often, causing less hard to the environment.
Becaue the places that they would have to drill for oil would compromise the wildlife that lives there (talking about the Gulf side of Florida), not to mention the ruination of homes and tourist business for the beaches there as well. Naples would look like Newark
Becuse they just want to sit on it untill the time is right to make some wind fall profits aswell as getting us used to paying nearly $4.00 a gallon for $2.00 gas.
To gomanyes,


We as Americans DO grow our own food, moron. We may import a lot of cheap chinese products, but food is one thing we have plenty of. As a matter of fact we one of the biggest exporters of beef.
Why are conservatives so against growing our own food and making our own products? Why do we have to import everything from China?
They are ignorant. Seriously, they believe that drilling would have no effect on prices. Never mind the fact that if we had adopted that stance 20 years ago and NOT drilled then gasoline would now be 15.00/gallon.
Actually, I think they are against oil in general and want to move off of it. I know I do. And I'm not a liberal.
If you only knew how little impact this ugly plan would have on our current demand you would cease to wonder.
All you Republicans are all the same its all about the almighty dollar..GREED!!
I believe after the elections they will pass drilling legislation, they know this will lower prices, create jobs and help the economy. They want the economy to be bad and have high gas prices now to blame on Bush and the Republicans. To them it is all about power not people.
Because they actually hate the evironment since they want countries with much less stringent regulations and much inferior equipment to drill.